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Brewers analyst Nelson chats with fans

Brewers analyst Nelson chats with fans

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Milwaukee Brewers |

Davey Nelson, an analyst for FS Wisconsin broadcasts and the Brewers' director of alumni relations, chatted during Thursday's Brewers-Cardinals game and offered insights on offseason moves, the highlight of the 2009 season and more.

gramparoy: Are the Brewers going to try and keep Lopez, even though Hardy is back?

Davey Nelson: Hello everyone, thanks for joining me today, let's get started! I think the Brewers will try and talk to Felipe when the season ends, but he is a free agent at the end of the season and I'm sure there are other teams who will want to talk to him. Those teams also might be able to make a better offer than what the Brewers can make.

pgagas: What do the brewers have to do with their 3,4, and 5 spot on the pitching rotation in order to get back to the playoffs if not this year, then next year?

Davey Nelson: The three, four and five spots have certainly been erratic this year. When you lose a Ben Sheets and a CC Sabathia, it is tough to recover. There isn't a lot of pitching out there, so it seems like they will have to try and make some trades. There is a mutual option on Braden Looper's contract, so they will have to decide on how to handle that. You also have Dave Bush and Manny Parra who will need to improve next year in order for the team to get to the postseason.

robinfan10: When will Corey Hart be back?

Davey Nelson: Corey is heading to New Orleans today to do a rehab appearance for the Nashville Sounds. Hopefully he will be back after his stint there and be back to play for the Brewers soon.

gramparoy: Will the Brewers keep Kendall around next season so he can break the hit by pitch record with the Brewers?

Davey Nelson: Jason Kendall will play baseball next season, he is not retiring and still wants to play. I would think the Brewers would try and resign him for another year because it doesn't appear that their catching prospects will be ready for the Major Leagues next year. I expect Jason to be back next year in a Brewers uniform.

thetfam: Will J.J. be playing in most of the games this season?

Davey Nelson: I personally think we will see J.J. play more than Escobar will play. The Brewers like Escobar, but I think they will give J.J. a chance to get his offense together. I know J.J. knows he has the ability to start and the Brewers want him to play well.

smitty594: Batting practice doesn't help that much, it just warms them up. Why don't they have some type of pitch recognition practice so they know what to look for at the plate. Is there anything like that?

Davey Nelson: It would be hard to do pitch recognition in batting practice because it's is difficult to find pitchers to throw the different types of pitches. They try to work on their timing in batting practice and work on their approach to the plate. The players also prepare for different pitch types by watching video.

Ttonyg30: Everyone I talk to likes the job your doing. Will you be returning in 2010?

Davey Nelson: Thanks Tony! I love what I'm doing here. I have another year on my contract so I will be back in 2010. I look forward to it!

notnotjoe: Why not bring back Big Ben [Sheets] for a one year contract to get good pitching and a chance for Sheets to prove himself after the injury? Any thoughts on this?

Davey Nelson: That's funny, I spoke with Ben a couple of days ago and I asked him the same question. He said he leaves it open and it is up to the Brewers. He would love to come back to play for Milwaukee if they would want to sign him. Ben said he is continuing to rehab his injury and continuing to work on getting his arm back to full health.

gocrew25: Do you ever see yourself coaching ever again?

Davey Nelson: I never say never but I really love what I'm doing right now. I love being on FS Wisconsin and I really love my job as Director of the Milwaukee Brewers Alumni Association.

Ttonyg30: If the Brewers could sigh 1 starting pitcher to turn it around for the 2010 season, who do you think that should be?

Davey Nelson: When you look at Free Agency and trades, you see guys like Cliff Lee being a Free Agent this offseason. You need that type of pitcher. A guy who is going to be solid all season, go deep into games and win at least 13-15 games for you.

courtright: What do you think the Brewers should do with Trevor Hoffman?

Davey Nelson: In talking to Trevor, he loves it here. Not only that, but he still loves competing and he loves to pitch. I know the team will definitely try and resign him because we have seen all season that he is still able to compete at a high level.

sfbrew: Serious question: give me a good reason to watch this team the rest of the season. The pitching is brutal, the future (Escobar/Gamel) isn't really playing, it doesn't even look like they can make a run for .500.

Davey Nelson: One good reason is you are a Brewer fan. Two, this team has not given up on finishing strong. Finally, this team has a number of exciting players to watch. Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun, Alcides Escobar, Yovani Gallardo, I could keep going. I know things haven't quite worked out the way everyone had hoped, but this team is still playing hard and will continue to play hard for the final month of the season.

notnotjoe: Do you think Suppan has run out of gas?

Davey Nelson: I don't think he has run out of gas. Sure, he is a little older and doesn't throw quite as hard which makes it a little had. He can still pitch, he just hasn't been as consistent this year. I definitely don't think he has run out of gas. He might have to make some adjustments in the offseason and hopefully come back to have a strong 2010.

steve2012: What is your favorite part of baseball besides playing, coaching or broadcasting?

Davey Nelson: There is no doubt the favorite part of the game for me was being able to play in the Major Leagues. Once I knew my career was over, I got into coaching and once that was over I got into broadcasting. I have enjoyed each part of my career because I have the great memories of being a player and then had great memories of being a coach and I now I am making great memories being a broadcaster. I'm truly lucky to be a part of this game for so long.

sfbrew: Sorry Davey, just a little frustrated with that first inning!

Davey Nelson: Manny Parra just needs to make a few adjustments, in the first inning he was getting a lot of pitches up. He needs to pitch ahead of the count to get effective and just needs to keep the ball down a bit.

gopack85: Will Prince Fielder keep his lead in the RBI Race?

Davey Nelson: Yes I do. I think he will keep the lead. He has been consistent all season and I think he will finish the season strong.

mlbsrmp: In your opinion, what was the highlight of this season?

Davey Nelson: I think it has been watching the maturity of Prince Fielder. Not only his improvements offensively, but to watch him improve defensively. He has been enjoyable to watch on defense this season and we have really seen him develop into an excellent first baseman in the Major Leagues.

dewittk: Hope this is not redundant but...how is the general mood in the clubhouse?

Davey Nelson: It is pretty good, guys are still working hard at improving and finishing the years strong. The guys are upbeat and want to focus on each game at this point.

mlbsrmp: From what I understand, you work with Open Arms Home for Children. Could you tell us a little about your charity work?

Davey Nelson: Four years ago, a good friend of mine asked me to come on board to help start an orphanage in Africa. I said I would join them and got involved in "Open Arms Home." It has been one of my favorite charities and I enjoy raising money for them. I enjoy going over to South Africa and visiting the children who live there. We have around 30 kids living in the home who have been abandoned or lost their parents from the AIDS pandemic. It is great to work with the kids.

sfbrew: Any chance Willie Randolph is back next season? I really liked his work with Rickie and it seems he's a good presence.

Davey Nelson: Willie is a great presence in the clubhouse. I believe it would be tough to keep him next year because I truly believe he will be offered a managerial position. If there is not an opening next year that is right for him, you will see Willie Randolph back.

mlbsrmp: What does it feel like to know you scored the last run ever for the Washington Senators?

Davey Nelson: It is pretty exciting knowing I scored the last run in Senators history. I played with Frank Howard there who was so well loved and I played with many other great players. Having scored the last run is a memory that I cherish. Washington was really a great place to play.

Davey Nelson: Hey everyone, thanks for joining me today in the chat and I look forward to seeing you all at Miller Park the rest of the season!